From RV Travel editor Chuck Woodbury
What would you do in this situation? Let’s say you invited 50 fellow residents in your RV park to a gathering around the park campfire pit, where you would socialize and get to know each other.
But what if two of those 50 people turned out to be obnoxious, loud-mouthed know-it-alls who screamed at everyone about how wrong they all were about everything and how right they were? You’d ask them to leave, wouldn’t you? I would.
Well, RVtravel.com is such a gathering place with tens of thousands of people gathered around our cyber campfire pit on any given day. Ninety-eight percent of them are kind, intelligent and respectful of others. But 2 percent are loud-mouthed jerks who raise their voice at every opportunity to tell everyone else how wrong they are about everything. They seem to believe that God blessed them with wisdom far beyond that of mere mortals.
Well, I am sick of these rude, nasty people. My staff and I work our fannies off to provide a useful service for RVers and we’re proud of it. We try to be accurate and fair about what we write and say. We know that some readers will always disagree, which is fine, but it must be with respect, not condemnation.
It’s come to the point where the angry 2 percent of our audience wants to argue about everything we write and every comment left by readers. No more. These people have got to go.
Starting today, my staff and I re-pledge to do all we can to get rid of these people. Let them go elsewhere. We can’t prevent them for reading this website, but we can prevent them from joining the discussion. Leave the rest of us alone to discuss matters intelligently and respectfully.
And, it would so wonderful if some of the most clueless in the audience would quit telling me I’m a radical leftist because I live in Seattle, where I am surely a socialist or commie because doesn’t every single person who lives here fit that description? They are too mentally impaired to understand that even if Seattle does lean left, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the area who are politically neutral or to the right. So for a reader to tell me (not suggest to me, but tell me) “You live in Seattle therefore I know you are a socialist,” is a spectacular display of ignorance from a person so ignorant they don’t even know it. Who are these bottom feeders of humanity?
The smart people of the world, and that includes most of our readers, celebrate diverse opinions. They know they do not have all the answers, and they yearn to learn more, to become more enlightened. If they are proven wrong, they admit it, their egos unaffected, and they are thankful to be set straight.
From this point on, all disrespectful comments left on this website will be deleted and the readers who wrote them will be banned from commenting again. With them gone, the collective intelligence of those who remain will rise several notches. Ah, what a breath of fresh air that will be!
I agree with you, we can disagree , we must be willing to listen.
Nobody likes nay sayer all the time. Thoughtful comments should be always be welcomed. I think the TROLLS just die the power trip. I just ignore them and they get bored and move on.
Keep up the good work. There is always something to learn no matter how smart one is.
This issue had the Walk the Plank mouse trap. Very Good and entertaining.
Thank you!! I support this 110%. These type people are the reason I do not use social media other than this forum and one RV group. And I appreciate the RV group leaders and moderators for keeping the know it all folks in check. I truly look forward to visiting here to learn and contribute. Thanks again.
Thank YOU, Wayne. We appreciate your kind words and support, and we appreciate you! Take care, and stay healthy. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
It’s very refreshing to find someone with the courage and backbone to stand up, lay down and uphold the ground rules to establish a civilized and intelligent discussion forum. Thank you!
I love the discourse in ” ‘Merka” right now. It came to be that a couple of decades ago the only place to find today’s level of hate and disrespect was in “Yahoo forums”. Remember those days long ago where everyone was free to comment or remember mainstream news organizations that gave everyone an open forum to act their natural selves? If you are like me you just couldn’t believe some of the things that were said there. You couldn’t believe that some small group of people had that much bile and hate. It was simply something you thought that couldn’t exist in the real world.
Well through the discourse machine of social media and all the money-based entities that stand to gain more power through our discourse. all that atmosphere has somehow come knocking on our very door. It’s now seen all over the streets and the same level of aggression has taken over with road-rage and today “in your face” contention over camping spaces. And it’s only getting worse.
I have recently moved outside of the US, I have to admit. It’s wonderful now to no longer have to qualify as a liberal or conservative to establish a friend base and to be able to seek out friends in an atmosphere where social gatherings never include politics, as that would be considered rude to the point that no one speaks of it. In fact if you want to see what is happening today to our once great American culture, the movie “Idiocracy” I believe is a great insight.
If you are of retirement age I strongly suggest retiring to another country instead of diving into the pool of RV campground battlegrounds that is developing from the current RV road-warrior glut. You’ll spend your final years as a much happier individual and perhaps mentally grow to the point of at last realizing how stupid this donkey vs. elephant mentality is with most everyone pursuing one of the most stupid endeavors one can undertake. Learn outside the influence of today’s propaganda machine.
Good for you Chuck! The internet and social media has given trolls a wonderful stomping ground where they can dump their word litter as they please. Imagine if there was a rule where people had to use only their real names online? That would quiet most folks as they’d be too embarrassed to behave that way with people knowing who they are. However, even with that in place, there would still be those who would continue to be obnoxious, rude, and even mean spirited to outright hateful online. You have the power to block these trolls. Hopefully that doesn’t become a fulltime job in and of itself. 🙂
Best,
-Mark
You know what they say, don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. Anybody who can’t play nice in the sandbox needs to be given the boot…so long, farewell, we don’t need your stinkin’ attitude!!
For anybody who tries to bully the conversation by throwing in politically charged attacks on an RV newsletter is…well to be blunt, they’re the south end of a north bound mule (think about it…if the mule’s head is facing north follow the line of equine anatomy to the tail end)!! Personally, the level of lunacy from these type of people far exceeds my level of patience and/or tolerance.
Chuck Woodbury, you have been one of my top 2 go-to’s (you and Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor, God bless his soul) for honest and reliable information for all things RV related.
Chuck, it’s interesting that you were offended by an assumption from a obvious conservative. It’s interesting that almost every time someone wants to censor someone’s comments, those comments seem to be of a conservative nature.
I am personally offended by your obvious liberal leanings and your comments had become so offensive to me, that I just started deleting your newsletters without reading them, until I noticed the subject on this most recent post. My experience is that censorship is the typical reaction of liberals/leftist/socialists to conservatives. You’ll notice that my response to you was to just avoid reading liberal drivel. It’s a shame because I learned a lot from your newsletters. If you avoided those liberal comments and attitudes in your editorials, I’d still be able to read your newsletter and continue to learn from the great articles. I expect that you will find my comments to be offensive.
Marvin, why, for God’s sake, do you continue to read RV Travel? If you are personally offended by my “obvious liberal leanings,” then take your reading elsewhere.
At all other large RV information websites there is absolutely no discussion beyond the same ol’ “how to do this,” “how to do that,” and “we went here and did that.” I suggest you unsubscribe from our newsletters and take your reading elsewhere. Or email me with your phone number and I will call and you can explain all your problems with RVtravel.com to my face (well, sort of). And, about your statement “My experience is that censorship is the typical reaction of liberals/leftist/socialists to conservatives.” Fine. That’s your view. I don’t buy it.
I think it is best you just find another website about RVing. There are hundreds of good ones, although none as good as ours.
You know, you reacted to my comment exactly the way I expected, in anger. Your reaction is exactly what you were complaining about from your readers. Why is it okay for you to get angry but not your readers. I’m not angry and I do not think I expressed any anger; frustration yes.
Your reaction seems to confirm my previous observation.
I don’t have any problems with RVtravel. You are correct it is a great website about RVing. We bought our first trailer camper about 5 years ago and I knew next to nothing about RVing before that. I’ve learned a lot primarily from your website and didn’t unsubscribe precisely because that is true. But I have curtailed my reading, due to my perception of the left leaning slant in your editorials.
Sure you have the right to censor anyone you want from these comments, but I hope you will carefully consider how you apply that right.
Let it go, Marvin. You said your piece. I need to move on.
The question is Marvin,
Why are YOU so offended by anybody that has a so called, “liberal” opinion?
If he’s conservative why wouldn’t he be offended?
Does it please you to hear someone push views that attack yours?
Go Chuck. Unfortunately, the contempt is part of the world we’re living in and that the internet has spawned. I don’t know your politics and, moreover, I don’t care. I come here to learn about RV’ing and I have a question I was going to ask but read your frustration, gotta-get-it-off-my-chest piece first. I am so left-wing that I am in the process of expatriating to Europe because I really can’t stand this country. Just to put it out there.
My mom was the only New Deal Democrat in San Marino, California, one of the two or three wealthiest towns in L.A and at the time the Western Headquarters of the John Birch Society. Conservative doesn’t even come close to describing the town I grew up in. Everybody knew my mother’s politics and mine. And the parents of my best friends often felt it was their duty to convert me. That was growing up. But you know what. We argued politics and agreed to disagree. We never impugned the other. That’s what’s lost.
“we never impugned the other. That’s what’s lost”…
Agree Curtis,
And, my fear is that it might get lost on this site too; see my post below…
Brad
Curtis Dowds, as a child you were taught to “agree to disagree.” If only today’s know-it-alls had been taught that. As it is, they know everything. So everyone who disagrees with them is wrong. It must be wonderful to be so intellectually gifted. I consider myself smart, but, geez. . . I am not right about everything and am not so stupid to pretend I do.
Chuck, I admire and respect what you do but I have to point out some hypocrisy here… at the same time you are banning those with negative things to say, you post a guest essay “How we spare you from wasting your time finding good RV information”
In that essay the writers post a quote from Dominick Zarcone, president and CEO of LKQ, then tell us that even after re-reading the statement they still don’t understand it. Despite that, they proceed to provide us with a butchered translation of what he must have meant. Unfortunately, they chose to cast Mr Zarcone as nothing more than a greedy slave driver.
Frankly, it strikes me as hypocritical to ban readers for negative comments including denigrating others, while choosing to feature this essay that besmirches the reputation of Mr Zarcone – all in the name of helping readers from wasting time?!? I do not know him, but I believe a retraction or an apology to that fellow human would be appropriate.
Brad K., That was written by Russ De Maris under his byline. Mr. Zarcone’s wishy washy, incredibly poorly written and confusing statement would make any English teacher cringe. I think Russ was reacting more about that than Mr. Zarcone’s message. Geez, I don’t know that I could have figured out what he was saying. Maybe Russ interpreted it wrong. If so, I could understand. Mr. Zarcone is a public figure. With all due respect, we don’t need to apologize to him. Thanks for voicing your opinion without calling me names.
Thank you Chuck! Such a relief. Now we can get on getting on!😎😎
You are perfectly within your rights to ban whomever you will from expressing their opinions on your media site. As you know full well, the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights prohibits only the GOVERNMENT from censoring free speech. The press itself is not obligated to present any speech it doesn’t agree with, but instead is free to censor whatever speech it finds objectionable.
I am curious then EXACTLY HOW other social media moguls (far larger and broader then this group) have CENSORED numerous comments, statements and distribution of information with impunity. I work as a QA auditor, live by “trust but verify” and have spent numerous hours verifying the information that has come across various social media and mainstream media sites. Unfortunatly nearly ALL of the information is dispersed on the internet so you relly have to peel the onion to get plausibly good information. With code where I generally live it is MUCH easier. I am seeing a lot of facts or possibly far more plausible information being trashed or censored than what has been dispersed. So to think that ANYONE or any PLATFORM can use an INTERSTATE/INTERNATIONAL vehicle (the fiber network) to censor information is a FASCIST doctrine that has no place in a free society. History was my favorite subject still is and those that do not study and understand it will be bound to repeat it!!
Ideas, comments and information are not in question: the means in witch they are transmitted is the issue. You can’t yell fire in a crowded place. Free speech is to be used with respect. There is no excuse for vulgar, rude or threatening terminology in a private, or any, forum. This isn’t a public trust such as a newspaper, TV station or radio station. All he is asking/doing is requesting people to be cordial and to leave if you can not be civil. Be safe out there & Happy Camping to all!
Joe, so true. Thanks.
Unfortunately for this discussion, unlike traditional media, especially print, social media lobbied Congress to be exempted from libel law and bought what they wanted. Libel law says that if you “speak” something false about someone or publish a falsehood, you must retract it in the same media you published it in. There is no such thing under libel law as “free speech” if you’re not speaking accurately or truthfully. The remedy is retraction. Or you get sued. Obviously, there is a huge gray area here and people say all sorts of things that are half-(assed) right or wrong. Inevitably, in a platform like this, as an editor, you have to decide where to draw the line. Where does a discussion simply leave the rails into fact-less vitriol and contempt. The internet is replete with these furies of vitriol and contempt. I just drop out of the discussion as a participant. No time to waste convincing dented brains. As an editor, you have an obligation to edit speech.
Douglas, you and I both know that people who do not study, respect and celebrate history are not qualified to comment about the issues of the day with any credibility.
Carson, You wonder if some of our readers didn’t pay attention in their high school civics class and learn that. I don’t think some of them made it out of eighth grade, which might be the explanation.
Thank you, Chuck. I have quit commenting on most sites because I’m tired of the haters who can’t seem to post a respectful comment if they disagree. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. 🙂
Rebecca, you are welcome. I am sick of the haters too. I think most of them are unhappy people.
Thank you there is too much hate. People need to learn we are all human beings who basically want the same thing from life but are finding different ways to find what we need.
Crystal, you are so right. Thanks.
Thank you, Chuck! There is enough hate and discontent on other websites…let them go!
👍 Chuck, we may need to make you a ‘honorary Texan’…
Oh my! What an honor. Wish I were in Texas.
Thank you, Chuck!
I’m with you Chuck. Some people just have too much free time on their hands.
Hear, hear, well written and timely. Way to go Chuck.
The beautiful noise you hear on the horizon is the rising thunderous applause.
Dale, that’s a nice visual! Thanks.